"Why?" Jiraiya asked.
Yahiko wanted to learn ninjutsu so he could protect himself and his companions, and escape from the kind of life he once lived.
Konan wanted to learn ninjutsu more to follow in Yahiko's footsteps.
Nagato was a deeply thoughtful and introverted child. Jiraiya couldn't tell how much he wanted to learn ninjutsu, but he could see the fear the boy had towards his own overwhelmingly powerful abilities. He was afraid of hurting others because he was too strong.
A child with a heart that was tender to the extreme.
But among the three, the one Jiraiya understood the most was Shiratori. He wanted to know when the boy developed the desire to learn medical ninjutsu. He also wanted to know why he wanted to learn it.
Shiratori's lips pressed together. After a moment of silence, he said heavily, "I don't want to only learn offensive ninjutsu that hurts people. I want to save people too."
Jiraiya's pupils widened slightly.
This child…
[Affection detected: Jiraiya +1000 points]
Shiratori kept his expression sincere, the look of someone who had found certainty after thinking very hard for a long time.
His shoulders straightened slightly, as if he had discovered the path that truly belonged to him.
After a moment of reflection, he continued speaking to Jiraiya.
"If all you do is talk about saving others without doing anything, it's meaningless. I want to actually heal people. I want to be there when they need help."
[Affection detected: Jiraiya +1000 points]
Jiraiya stared at Shiratori, visibly shaken.
At this moment, standing before him, he felt ashamed. Perhaps it was because the boy was still a child that his sincerity hadn't been worn down by the world.
No!
It wasn't because he was a child, it was because he was Shiratori! Only he could have such a pure and selfless thought.
"Whether they're a ninja or an enemy, I really want to save them all."
Shiratori never averted his gaze from Jiraiya. In his pupils, Jiraiya saw the rising sun.
[Affection detected: Jiraiya +1000 points]
"I don't know if I can save everyone, but I'll try, one person at a time. This will be my nindō."
His voice grew more and more resolute.
It wasn't loud, but everyone could hear it clearly.
No matter who it was, they could feel a powerful force pouring into their hearts with every word he spoke.
"I hope that one day, everyone can let go of prejudice and hatred, reconcile with themselves, reconcile with their enemies, and the world will finally know peace. That's my dream."
He ended his statement with a final elevation of his ideal.
After hearing this, not just Jiraiya, even Yahiko, who dreamed of conquering the world, had tears in his eyes.
Konan and Nagato looked like they had been struck by a profound new worldview. They stared motionlessly at Shiratori, their eyes filled with admiration and awe.
[Multiple affection sources detected]
[Jiraiya: +1000 points]
[Yahiko: +1000 points]
[Nagato: +1000 points]
[Konan: +1000 points]
[Total accumulated: 7000 points]
[Feed cursed spirit Rika?]
[Yes/No]
Shiratori, of course, didn't hesitate to feed the Queen of Curses.
[Energy transferred to Rika]
[Development progress: 45.002%]
[Rika's feedback: Yuta~ I'm so full~ I love you~]
"..."
How many times had he told the system to SKIP this feedback part already?!
[New Technique Unlocked: Ieiri Shoko - Reverse Cursed Technique]
[Activation: AUTOMATIC]
[Note: Applicable to wounds caused by any kind of power]
It activated just like that?
Too convenient.
Really, way too convenient!
Shiratori started to suspect something was different about the system today. Because the normal system would never be so forthcoming with information, especially for a technique he didn't even realize he had unlocked.
That said, he felt that maybe luck had smiled on him and rewarded him with the Reverse Cursed Technique.
Perfect timing!
Truly wonderful!
For Shiratori, who already possessed cursed energy, using the Reverse Cursed Technique was definitely more energy-efficient than medical ninjutsu. After all, they both belonged to the same power system. However, learning medical ninjutsu was still necessary. Otherwise, he'd have no excuse to cover the use of the Reverse Cursed Technique, or to justify leaving the small wooden cabin.
At that moment, Jiraiya, who had been lost in his thoughts, suddenly sighed and spoke, "Is that so? To create peace through love and forgiveness… Is that the path you've chosen?"
He looked at Shiratori seriously. From this moment on, he no longer saw him as a child, because the boy's thinking had already far surpassed many in the shinobi world, including himself.
"Your words have truly given this teacher a revelation."
Upon hearing this, the corner of Shiratori's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly. Of course his words could give Jiraiya inspiration, they were literally the same ideals his future self would choose to follow.
"What a pity. I don't know any medical ninjutsu."
Jiraiya scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile.
Obviously! Shiratori knew he didn't know medical ninjutsu. He looked down, shoulders drooping slightly, but quickly lifted his head again, his eyes full of resolve.
"It's fine. I'll try to figure it out myself."
He needed to leave himself a backup plan. If Jiraiya didn't help him recruit others, then he'd just tell him he had independently developed a healing technique similar to medical ninjutsu, his Reverse Cursed Technique. Another opportunity to harvest more of Jiraiya's affection points.
He was a "genius" after all, wouldn't it be totally believable if he "invented" a healing technique?
---
Later that night, Shiratori received system notifications.
[User feedback protocols: ACTIVATED]
[Performance evaluation: PENDING]
A blue digital screen popped up in front of him, displaying a system feedback questionnaire.
"..."
So that's what this was about!
No wonder the system was so unusually cooperative today. There was some kind of evaluation system running in the background.
Even though the system wasn't the most helpful, whoever designed it was clearly professional, they even did user feedback tracking.
He was actually impressed.
Looking at the interface and the various status indicators, he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.
Finally, some accountability.
[Feedback submission: REQUIRED]
[System performance rating: PENDING USER INPUT]
Shiratori's voice was calm. "System, do you understand what went wrong before?"
[Error analysis: INCOMPLETE]
[Requesting user specification]
His tone was firm: "From now on, if I need information?"
[Response: Data will be provided efficiently]
[Additional improvements: IMPLEMENTING]